Paramus Bear Captured By Wildlife Officials

Paramus Bear Captured By Wildlife OfficialsPARAMUS, N.J. (CBS) ― New Jersey wildlife officials captured the large black bear seen wandering through backyards in Bergen County on Thursday morning, CBS 2 has learned.

The bear was struck with a tranquilizer dart around 1 p.m. after it roamed into Dunker Hook Park, where families were out biking and enjoying the beautiful weather. Officials plan on transporting the bear to more appropriate and much safer surroundings when they release it into a remote area of Sussex County.

Chopper 2 HD captured live video of the bear, which weighed in at 345 pounds, walking through various yards in Paramus and Ridgewood earlier in the morning.

The bear’s travels included stops near Paramus Catholic High School, which put students and administrators on high alert. The school was eventually locked down and all outside activities were cancelled until the bear was captured.

A Paramus police spokesperson warned people against using bike and jogging paths while they conducted their search.

The wayward bear made for quite the workout. Around 11 a.m., officials managed to surround it on the front lawn of a Paramus home, but it quickly hit the gas, and fled through a nearby creek, before finding an escape route through a heavily wooded area.

The bear remained in a wooded section of the county for and officials had fired gunshots into the air to scare it away, but it eventually re-emerged at the park allowing officials to capture and tag it.